The New England Patriots remain committed to Jacoby Brissett as their starting quarterback heading into Week 4, but one prominent reporter expects that to change some point this season.
Albert Breer of The MMQB wrote on Monday that the Patriots are planning to give rookie Drake Maye an opportunity to start in 2024. Breer believes head coach Jerod Mayo’s decision to give Maye some snaps late in Thursday night’s loss to the New York Jets was a step toward the No. 3 overall pick earning more playing time.
“My understanding is that the plan is for that to happen at some point in 2024 — this won’t be a full-on redshirt year,” Breer wrote. “They’ll be patient. But Maye’s progress has gotten to the point where the expectation is he’ll earn his way on to the field relatively soon, with the one caveat being that the Patriots’ offense will have to show (as it did against the Cincinnati Bengals, then didn’t against the Jets) that it can play the way it needs to in order to support a rookie quarterback.”
Maye played 16 snaps against the Jets. He finished 4-of-8 for 22 yards and was sacked two times. Brissett was sacked five times before Mayo pulled the veteran from the 24-3 loss.
As Breer mentioned, the Patriots’ offense — and specifically their offensive line — needs to show improvement before the team will be comfortable naming Maye the starter. There is no point in putting the former North Carolina star on the field in a position to fail. While it seems counterintuitive, the Patriots are probably more likely to keep Maye on the bench if the offense as a whole does not show some sign of life.
In the meantime, the Patriots have taken a very unique approach in practice with Maye. Teams often wait until the bye week to make a quarterback change, but New England does not have a bye until Week 14. Brissett would probably have to play very well to keep his job that long.
